Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) resonators or oscillators are small electromechanical structures that vibrate at high frequencies. They are used for timing references, signal filtering, mass sensing, biological sensing, motion sensing, and other diverse applications.
For frequency and timing references, MEMS resonators are generally attached to electronic circuits, often called sustaining amplifiers, to drive them in continuous motion. These circuits are typically located near the resonators and in the same physical package. In addition to driving the resonators, these circuits produce output signals for downstream electronics.